Inside Chloe Kelly’s loan to Arsenal: From fractured relationships and rejected offers to a solution

In another world, Chloe Kelly would have relished playing in the seven-goal thriller between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday. The Women’s Super League match had bite, and plenty of twists and turns — perfect for a winger who plays, according to one of her former coach’s, with fire.

But the 27-year-old was not involved. The terms of her last-minute loan from City to Arsenal on deadline day last week prevented her from featuring against her parent club. The same goes for Thursday’s League Cup semi-final between the clubs.

Even if Kelly had not moved to Arsenal, it would have been very unlikely for her to have had a major role in the weekend’s match, given her significant decrease in game time this season under City manager Gareth Taylor.

In December, a meeting took place to try to remedy the relationship between Taylor and Kelly, according to a source close to the player who, like all cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships.

City’s director of football Therese Sjogran and managing director Charlotte O’Neill were also present. Kelly was told to keep working hard. She then attended the squad’s winter training camp in Abu Dhabi last month, and Taylor said she “looked really sharp, fresh, (with) renewed energy and optimism for…